


A Magical Night

by awakened_treepanda



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Aladdin! Kokichi, Alibaba! Shuichi, Alternate Universe - Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic Fusion, Basically Danganronpa characters in the Magi universe, Djinn! Gonta, Gen, covers episode 1 of Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, so please watch that first, you read that right
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2019-07-04
Packaged: 2020-04-11 12:30:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19109701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awakened_treepanda/pseuds/awakened_treepanda
Summary: Shuuichi, a young worker living a life not true to himself, meets a mysterious traveler named Kokichi, who offers him an opportunity and a ride on his magic turban.





	A Magical Night

**Author's Note:**

> This exists now. Blame the Danganronpa Amino.
> 
> Enjoy.  
> ~Panda

“Hey, Shuuichi! You’re working pretty hard, huh?”

  


A young man, no older than sixteen, dropped the sack of rice he was carrying over his shoulder onto a now-filled cart before replying.

  


“Ah, yes,” the young man— Shuuichi— answered, strands of dark blue hair messily sticking to his forehead. “I have a lot of errands to do for Lord Kuma. He’s pretty demanding.”

  


“Ugh, that greedy scumbag isn’t fit to be a lord. Why’re you even working for him in the first place?”

  


“Don’t you know?” his companion said. “The kid’s aiming for the dungeons. He’s gonna need the money.”

  


“Seriously? That’s a fool’s quest. Must be nice to be so young and full of dreams.”

  


The two men laughed like they were sharing an inside joke, oblivious to the clenched fist by Shuuichi’s side as he paid for the goods and went on his way.

  


The city-state of Qishan was bustling as usual. Despite the humidity that came with living in a desert town, merchants from all over had set up their tents in every road and alley, advertising their products with enthusiasm. Shuuichi trekked through the busy district, his humble attire catching no one’s attention as he passed, focused solely on his task. After navigating the worn paths he knew like the back of his hand, he arrived at a clearing occupied by numerous caravans and unloaded the sacks of rice into one of them.

  


“Phew.” He wiped the sweat off his brow with his sleeve. “That should be the last of them.”

  


Relieved that his job was just about done, Shuuichi went to perform one final check-up to make sure that everything was in order. Now if he recalled correctly, this one was supposed to carry the— 

  


“Man, these things are delicious!” A boy with wild violet hair and a golden flute hanging around his neck popped a grape into his mouth, noticing Shuuichi’s horrified expression. “Oh, hi, mister! I’m Kokichi, the Ultimate Traveler! Hope you don’t mind me eating these sweet little fruits!”

  


“ _What do you think you’re doing?!_ ” Shuuichi screeched, eyes quickly scanning the caravan’s stock. A good chunk of the grapes were gone. “Why you—”

  


“Shuuichi!”

  


The dark-haired boy flinched and looked outside. Flanked by his bodyguards, Lord Kuma approached him, the lord’s fat belly bouncing with each step he took. Shuuichi kneeled before him in obligatory respect.

  


The plump merchant eyed him suspiciously. “Are the preparations complete?”

  


“Y-Yes, my lord. I just have to—”

  


“Then I hope you won’t mind if I check this caravan,” Lord Kuma said, grabbing the opening curtain of the nearest caravan, where—

  


Shuuichi paled and frantically moved to stop him. “MY LORD, WAIT—”

  


“Hiya!” The boy inside the caravan waved, surrounded by grape stems.

  


“WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!” Lord Kuma exclaimed. He turned to Shuuichi in a fit of rage. “You! I expect you to reimburse me for these exotic goods! You're working for me without pay until this debt is repaid!”

  


“What?! But I—” It only took one look at the lord’s expression to tell that there was no room for argument. Begrudgingly, he bowed his head, concealing his gritted teeth. “...Yes, sir.” 

  


With a huff, the merchant left, leaving behind a frustrated young man and the mysterious traveler, who had watched the whole exchange in silence.

  


* * *

  


Shuuichi flopped onto the pile of fabrics known as his bed, exhausted. The day had been long, and he would’ve gone out like a light had his stomach not growled. He groaned, sat up, and grabbed an apple from a nearby basket. After some thought, he took another one.

  


“Here.” He gave it to the purple-haired traveler from earlier. Despite what happened, he couldn’t find it in himself to abandon the boy. It wasn’t entirely his fault that he got in trouble.

  


“Thanks, mister. You’re a nice guy,” Kokichi said between bites, “unlike that pig from before.”

  


“Yeah, Lord Kuma isn’t a very good person. But,” Shuuichi stared at the stars through the lone opening in the wall, determined, “if I want to have a chance at capturing a dungeon, I’ll have to bear with it.”

  


Kokichi cocked his head to the side. “Dungeon?”

  


“What, you haven’t heard of them?” The taller boy quickly finished his apple before fetching an old papyrus collecting dust on the shelf. Laying it on the floor, he unscrolled it for the other to see.

  


“Fourteen years ago, strange ruins called dungeons started popping up all over the world.” Shuuichi pointed at an illustration of a massive tower. “Whoever can manage to capture one gains all of the riches within. From gold and silver, to magical items like flying cloths, urns that produce wine, and the most valuable of them all: a Metal Vessel, said to contain an actual Djinn.”

  


At this, the traveler’s eyes widened. “Hey, mister, tell me more about these so-called dungeons. Do you know where to find them?”

  


“...”

  


“Mister?”

  


He received no reply. When he looked, Shuuichi had slumped to his bed and fallen asleep.

  


“...Well, I guess it can wait.” Kokichi pulled off his turban and curled into his own bed, clutching his flute. “Looks like we’ll finally be able to find out more about your people, Gonta. Good night.”

  


* * *

  


“What shall you have me do today, my lord?” Shuuichi asked dutifully, trailing after his master.

  


“We’ll be delivering a variety of goods to a neighboring city shortly.” Lord Kuma pointed towards an unmanned caravan. “You’ll be driving that caravan. It holds some of our finest wine, so you’d best be careful.”

  


The words themselves were kind, but Shuuichi could hear the unspoken warning. “As you wish.”

  


The dark-haired boy was quick to seat himself on the driver’s seat, frowning, as he began inspecting the horses’ reins. Kokichi, who had been quietly tagging along, sat next to him, saying, “What’s wrong? You seem kinda anxious.”

  


“Huh?” He jumped. “Oh, um, it’s nothing.”

  


“That’s a lie.”

  


Shuuichi blinked. “How are you so sure?”

  


“I just am.” The traveler’s expression was blank. “You shouldn’t lie like that, mister. If you keep lying to yourself, you’ll lose sight of who you are.”

  


Shuuichi stared at him, unsure of how to respond. Fortunately, he didn't have to.

  


“Are all the slaves locked up?” Lord Kuma barked nearby. “Then let’s get moving!”

  


One by one, the caravans exited the city gate, greeted by the dry winds of the desert land. They moved at a slow but steady pace, silent save for the creaking of wooden wheels and clacking of horse hooves. Shuuichi, having momentarily forgotten his unfinished conversation with Kokichi, cherished the peace. He prayed that it would last.

  


It didn’t.

  


A short distance away from the road they were taking, the ground began to crack. From that point, a section of the land started to cave in, revealing a large, flower-like monster. Its grotesque petals were splayed out, pointed at the edges, holding a pool of murky liquid at the center— its stomach acids.

  


Lord Kuma poked his head out of the caravan. “Tch, it came after all!”

  


“That's what happens when you transport wine,” Shuuichi whispered to himself before whipping the horses' reins.

  


The caravan jolted from the sudden burst of speed, moving away from the collapsing ground as fast as it could. They managed to escape the monster's trap by a small margin, and the dark-haired boy was about to sigh in relief when he realized that the rest weren't as lucky.

  


Some of the vehicles had fallen to their sides, including a cage-like cart that carried the slaves they were transporting. It was dangerously close to the edge of the monster's territory, and the people inside were crying out, begging to be released before they could fall to their demise. Once Lord Kuma's soldiers regained their bearings, they unlocked the cage, hurriedly ushering the slaves out, but in their haste, one of them, a young girl with brown hair kept in twintails, stepped too close to the edge.

  


Shuuichi noticed the ground crack beneath the girl’s feet before her and sprinted faster than he ever had in his life, stretching his hand out with unbridled desperation. As the edge broke off under her weight, she spotted him, red eyes widening with both fear and hope, and reached out— 

  


His hand grazed hers, and she fell into the pit.

  


“MAKI!” Another slave cried.

  


The girl landed in the monster’s mouth with a splash, and its petals instantly closed, preventing escape. Shuuichi fell to his knees, hand still outstretched uselessly, watching the girl drown in the monster’s acids. Beside him, the slave that cried out was thrashing against the soldiers holding him down, screaming at them.

  


“I— I have to save her!” he said. “Let me go!”

  


“Do _not_ let him go!” Lord Kuma ordered, carrying barrels of wine away from the pit. “If I sustain any more losses, I’ll be screwed! We must leave while the monster’s distracted.”

  


The merchant grabbed Shuuichi’s shoulder. “You, help me load the wine back into the caravan.”

  


Lord Kuma walked away, ignoring the slave that continued to desperately struggle free from his captors. The rest of his men started salvaging the cargo, paying no heed to the dying girl below them.

  


Shuuichi stared at the monster, conflicted. Every fiber of his being was telling him to help her— to save her— but he knew that he couldn’t. He just didn’t have the power to help her, just as he didn’t have the power to do anything but watch as his home burned down and his country fell into poverty, forcing him to flee from his past, his origins, and his true self and start a new, hollow-hearted life in Qishan. The frustration from hesitating to make a decision showed in his turbulent expression, noticed by no one but Kokichi, who observed him with unreadable violet eyes.

  


_Someone..._

  


He lowered his head. Clenched his fists.

  


_Someone...help her!_

  


“Hey! Quit sitting around and start working!” Lord Kuma grabbed his shoulder again, annoyed.

  


_Some...one..._

  


Shuuichi punched him in the face.

  


_Someone, my foot!_

  


The merchant tumbled to the ground, dazed by the hit. Shuuichi quickly hauled a barrel of wine over his shoulder before jumping into the pit.

  


As he slid down towards the monster, he couldn’t help but smile to himself. He may have been a coward in the past, but he wasn’t going to make the same mistake again. If he wanted to stay true to himself, he had to be brave, even if it meant risking his own life.

  


This time, he was going to create an outcome he could be proud of.

  


Shuuichi reached the bottom of the pit, running to the monster’s closed mouth. He dug his fingers into the petal’s slits, using all of his might to pry it open. If he could only— 

  


A high-pitched whistle resounded through the air, and suddenly, a giant blue body appeared behind him, opening the monster’s mouth with relative ease. A golden flute laid where its head was supposed to be.

  


“Go, Gonta!” Kokichi cheered from above. “Show ‘em the strength of a Djinn!”

  


Shuuichi gaped at the magical being, questions on the tip of his tongue, but a gasp from the slave girl brought him back to the situation at hand. With a grunt, he chucked the barrel straight into the monster’s mouth, causing its feelers to go slack from the alcohol as if it were drunk. Once more, he reached a hand out to the girl.

  


“Hurry!”

  


She hesitated for a second, wary, but soon took hold of his hand. At that moment, the monster recovered from its drunken stupor, tentacle-like vines wrapping around Kokichi’s Djinn.

  


_It wasn’t enough wine!_

  


Without a second thought, Shuuichi pulled the girl out, using his weight to throw her out of its mouth at the cost of falling in himself. His vision became murky as he sank into the liquid, feeling oddly at peace despite the fact that he was going to die. He had his regrets, but he could never regret giving away his life to stay true to himself. He supposed he had Kokichi to— 

  


“Heeeeey, mister!”

  


Shuuichi blinked, not believing his eyes. Above him, flying in the air on a cloth with dozens of barrels behind him, was Kokichi.

  


“Sorry to disappoint, but I’m not letting you die today!” the traveler exclaimed and, ignoring the cries of protest from Lord Kuma, unloaded his cargo.

  


Barrels of wine rained down upon the monster, making its entire body go slack. Shuuichi could only stare in awe, floating lamely in the monster’s acids, as the shorter boy flew down to pick him up before rising into the air once more.

  


The sky was turning orange, the sun just beginning to dip below the horizon. The two of them were standing on the flying cloth— Kokichi’s turban— watching the Djinn sweep away Lord Kuma and his cronies. Magically, its giant blue body disappeared into the flute, flying into Kokichi’s palm. He whispered his thanks to it and slung it over his head, the object glinting from the setting sun.

  


_A Metal Vessel_ , Shuuichi thought.

  


“Sooooooo,” Kokichi drawed out, grinning, “got anything to tell me?”

  


The taller boy chuckled as though he didn’t almost die earlier. “Thank you for saving me, Kokichi. You were right; I wasn’t being honest with myself. I’d been trying so hard to survive that I turned a blind eye from the injustices around me. You made me realize that, and I’m grateful.”

  


The traveler snickered. “Jeez, Shuuichi, you sure know how to lay it on thick.” A pause. “If you’re so grateful, then do me a favor.”

  


“Huh?”

  


Kokichi held out his hand. “Become my subordinate.”

  


Shuuichi blinked in confusion, but soon noticed the other’s cheeks turning faintly red.

  


_Be my friend._

  


“Okay,” he said, sincerity lacing his features as he grasped his hand.

  


“Alright!” Kokichi abruptly jumped, turning away from him. “Now our first order of business is going on an adventure!”

  


The flying cloth began moving, heading towards the beginning of their journey. The night sky welcomed them, stars shining with splendor, but none of them could compare to the magical shine of a golden flute.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry that Kokichi's not Judal.  
> ~Panda


End file.
